


Sometimes Friends Are Better

by TheManOfManyFandoms



Series: Family Is More Than Blood [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canonical Child Abuse, Gen, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Past Child Abuse, Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, Zuko (Avatar) Angst, Zuko Needs a Hug, Zuko gets nightmares, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, and he gets one, or two, the author is a slut for found family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24635506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheManOfManyFandoms/pseuds/TheManOfManyFandoms
Summary: The first thing Toph notices about Zuko is that he’s pretty much always scared. The others figure it out with time.
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Hakoda & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Suki & Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko
Series: Family Is More Than Blood [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1789564
Comments: 632
Kudos: 6339





	1. Toph

The first thing Toph notices about Zuko is that he’s scared. Like, all the time. He’s as twitchy as a spooked ostrich-horse and his heartbeat thumps like a rabbit-mouse’s most of the time. 

She doesn’t understand how anybody could be intimidated by someone like him. Toph supposes his abrasive tone could put some people off but by those standards they should be scared of her too. It could have something to do with the large scar that’s supposedly on his face but physical appearances are pretty overrated if you ask Toph.

He always scrambles to assist whenever Katara concedes that she could use his help. Today, it seems, he moves too fast and Toph can tell what’s going to happen a second before it does. He drops the clay plate he had hastened to pick up and it shatters with a crash. The earthbender feels his heart pick up and she can tell that Katara must be glaring at him.

“Well, very well done,” Katara sneers, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “It’s definitely like we have a bunch of extra dishes out here in an abandoned air temple.” More than one person around the fire flinches slightly at the anger in the tone. Toph, of course, does not. But Zuko does. Hard. 

“Sorry,” he mumbles, and Toph hates the uncomfortable twist in her stomach when she feels his hands shaking as he moves to pick up the pieces.

“Here,” she snaps, moving on instinct. She reaches a hand out and feels the pieces of the plate re-connect and stick together under her guidance. She fixes it quickly and tries not to feel too relieved at the way Sparky’s heartbeat stops beating a frantic drum against his chest.

“Thank you, Toph.” Katara and Zuko speak at the same time and both freeze.

Toph can feel Katara about to say something biting and, unable to take it anymore, slaps a hand over the waterbender’s mouth and snaps, “Can it, Sugar Queen.” Katara snaps her mouth shut and Toph smirks before removing her hand. 

She can feel Zuko watching her warily for the rest of the evening. She tries to ignore it.

—————

Zuko seeks her out that evening and, since he’s scared of pretty much all of them, Toph thinks that it’s pretty ballsy. “Hey, can I talk to you?” She’s always surprised at the way his voice somehow manages to be both rough and soft at the same time. 

It occurs to her that she hasn’t actually heard him speak that often but she shrugs the uncomfortable thought off in favor of responding before he second guesses himself too much. “Sure,” she replies, stretching out leisurely. He hesitates for a moment before settling himself down next to her. 

“Why did you help me out today?” Zuko blurts out the question suddenly, as if he’s afraid he won’t be able to get it out if he says it slowly.

Toph considers her options for a moment. If this were anyone else she would probably spit out a biting comment about them assuming she did it for them. But this isn’t anyone else and, yeah, Toph is an asshole but she’s not cruel. So instead she says breezily, “I just didn’t think you deserved to be yelled at by Sweetness for an accident like that.” Zuko doesn’t respond for a moment so she tries to push her luck a little. “That is, if it was an accident.”

Shit, his heart, which had slowed a bit, had picked up again. “Of course it was!” He hastens to assure.

“Hey, chill out Sparky. It was just a joke,” Toph can tell that her words came out too sharp. That happened sometimes. When she was worried or in a good mood, she sometimes forgot how to censor her tone. To soften the blow she rocks lightly and bumps his shoulder with her own. Or, well, as close to his shoulder as she can reach. Luckily, his heart rate slows again and when did she become so concerned for the well-being of Zuko? 

“Sorry,” Zuko mutters. He takes a breath as if to fortify himself before speaking. “I-I don’t get that kind of thing sometimes.” 

He braces as if she were going to laugh at him, and if that isn’t sad Toph doesn’t know what is. “Hey, that’s okay,” she says, because who is she to judge? She makes a snap judgement, figuring that he would feel more comfortable if she opened up to him a little too. “Apparently, I’m a bit shitty at knowing when that sort of thing’s funny or not. The others have to tell me when it’s inappropriate in a situation or if it goes too far.”

Zuko seems like he’s calmed down a lot and Toph is absurdly happy about it. “It’s hard for me to understand sarcasm and shit like that,” he admits quietly, “it made it hard to grow up with someone like Azula.”

A surprised snort of laughter escapes Toph and she’s relieved when Zuko doesn’t appear to stress about it. “Yeah, your sister’s a different breed, isn’t she?”

Zuko is surprised into a small huff of laughter. “Yeah, something like that,” he agrees lowly.

“Well, family’s overrated anyway,” Toph declares loudly, because she’s feeling too many odd emotions right now. “Friends are a lot better if you ask me.”

Zuko stills for a moment and asks in a very small voice that tugs at her heartstrings, “Are-are we friends?”

“‘Course we are,” Toph assures, punching his arm gently, “I don’t go around having heart-to-hearts with just anyone!”

And somehow, miraculously, Zuko’s heart beat is slow and steady for once as he responds with a somehow fragile, almost reverent tone. “I’m glad we’re friends.”

Toph doesn’t say it out loud, but she’s glad too. She hopes it translates into the way she sprawls across Zuko when they all go to sleep that night. She thinks it might if the way Zuko heaves a contented sigh says anything. She doesn’t know it but that’s the first time Zuko sleeps the whole night through in a very long time.


	2. Aang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their trip to the Temple of the Sun Warriors, Aang attempts to connect with Zuko more.

A realization strikes Aang the first night back from the Sun Warriors’ Temple. None of them had tried to include Zuko in anything. Well, aside from Toph, who, inexplicably, seemed to guard Zuko like an overprotective sabertooth-moose-lion. Aang giggles softly, thinking of the time she had punched Sokka in the arm much harder than necessary when the Water Tribe boy had made a snide comment about Zuko.

Aang shakes his head to clear his thoughts and hears an irritated Sokka whisper-shouting, “Stop making it windy, Aang!”

“Sorry!” Aang calls back softly. Settling back down he tries to think back. Something about it didn’t feel right. Sure, they hadn’t included Zuko in anything but it’s not like Zuko tried to join in. But that’s just it, isn’t it? 

When Toph first joined the group she forced herself into every interaction and, soon enough, it was like she had been with them from the beginning. Sure, she had never chased them around the world but it’s not like they had had the friendliest of introductions. 

Aang, thinking back to the last few days, quickly comes to the uncomfortable realization that, despite Zuko being nothing but helpful they hadn’t exactly treated him well. He had been badly snubbed by Katara the few times he had tried to speak to them. Whenever Aang had tried to start a conversation with him, the firebender had responded with a wide eyed look and a hasty, mumbled answer.

Aang feels his own eyes widen as he comes to a horrible conclusion. Zuko couldn’t be scared of them. Could he? 

—————

He’s shaken awake much earlier than he would like and groans obnoxiously. “Get up. Training,” comes Zuko’s clipped tone. Aang uses his airbending to push himself to his feet, yawning widely. He swallows any annoyed comment he might have made when he notices that Zuko had taken a very fast half step backwards at the casual display of his bending. Zuko turns away then but Aang doesn’t think he’s imagining the slight hunch in the banished prince’s shoulders. 

Aang’s distracted throughout training and finally, after almost two hours, Zuko sighs, a puff of steam revealing his frustration, and snaps, “We can be done for now since you obviously have better things on your mind.” He winces slightly and Aang can see him trying to backtrack as he starts to speak, “Sorry, I just-”

“It’s okay,” Aang says as brightly as he can manage. He reaches up to put a hand on Zuko’s shoulder and Zuko flinches at the contact. Aang draws his hand back, guilt swirling in his stomach. “Sorry,” he says in a small voice.

“No, i-it’s fine,” Zuko sighs, sounding frustrated. Aang thinks he might be frustrated with himself, which Aang thinks is a bit sad. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Aang asks gently. He flops down on his stomach, looking up at Zuko with a smile. He hopes this makes the question feel less intimidating. He knows that sometimes it’s hard to talk about the deep stuff.

Zuko gives him an odd look. Aang can’t quite place the emotion but, whatever it is, it makes him sad so he looks away. “Yeah, okay,” Zuko says quietly and sits down next to Aang.

Zuko doesn’t talk for a while and Aang feels like he’ll wriggle out of his own skin if the silence goes on any longer but he doesn’t push it. Finally, Zuko says, “It just feels... strange to be near you without being on opposite sides of a battle. Sometimes I forget that you’re not going to- that you’re not like you are in battle.”

Aang nods, that makes a lot of sense. “It’s weird for me sometimes too,” Zuko tenses visibly so Aang plows on hastily, “But I really like you, Zuko.” 

Zuko gives him an astonished look and he stammers, “You-you do?” 

Aang nods, “Yeah, once I got over the newness of it I realized that you’re actually really nice!”

Zuko looks away slightly as he mumbles, “No, I’m not. I’m not even a patient teacher. Uncle would have been much better than me.”

Aang pushes himself up into a sitting position and scoots a little closer to the firebender. “I think you’re a really good teacher, Zuko,” he says quietly. He slowly reaches out and puts a hand on Zuko’s arm. 

This time Zuko smiles shyly at him, leaning into the touch slightly, and Aang returns the smile with a blinding one of his own, his heart singing with victory.

—————

They stay seated next to eachother for a while but, when Aang’s stomach rumbles, they return to the camp for breakfast. When they pass Toph, her sightless eyes widen and she pulls at Aang’s arm. 

Aang allows the metalbender to pull him out of hearing range, wondering what she could possibly want. “Did you say something to Sparky?” She doesn’t sound hostile, like she does when Katara or Sokka aim a biting comment at Zuko. On the contrary, she’s practically vibrating with excitement. 

“Yeah, I did, actually. How did you know?" Aang figures belatedly that he really should stop questioning Toph's apparent omnipotence. 

"Because," she responds gruffly, "Zuko feels happy or whatever for once." She folds her arms in a mockery of her usual aloof stance. 

"Oh, come on, Toph! It's okay for you to be nice once in a while!" He wheedles. He gets punched in the arm for his effort. He yelps and she giggles a bit. 

She makes as if she's about to stomp away but hesitates and says, "Seriously, thanks Twinkletoes." 

"Anytime, my good Sifu!" Aang grins. Toph rolls her eyes but, as she turns to leave, Aang can see her hiding a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of the comments on the first chapter made me super happy! I’m glad so many people enjoy this fic.


	3. Sokka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the journey back from the Boiling Rock, Sokka accidentally bonds with Zuko.

Sokka is exhausted. If the slump of Zuko’s shoulders and the way that even his good eye can barely stay open says anything; the firebender’s tired too. “Come on,” Sokka urges, yawning a bit. “The rest of them can take care of this, admittedly really cool, thing. We need to sleep.”

Zuko shakes his head, looking as if he’s pushing through cobwebs to do so. “The airship runs on firebending,” he protests, “and-”

“And Chit Sang is a firebender too,” Sokka cuts him off. “I’m sure if they need our help they’ll wake us up.” Sokka can't quite explain why he cares about Zuko's well-being so much, but what can he say? The jerk had grown on him. 

Zuko gives him a doubtful look but seems too tired to argue further when Sokka grabs his arm and practically drags him along. “Do you even know where you’re going?” Zuko asks after a moment.

“Of course I do!” Sokka snaps and immediately feels guilty when Zuko draws back quickly. “Ugh, you’re right,” Sokka sighs, releasing Zuko and hanging his head, “I have no idea where we are.”

Zuko looks like he’s fighting a smile and Sokka folds his arms over his chest, determined to stay huffy. “The sleeping quarters are this way.” Zuko makes an odd aborted movement, as if he were going to take Sokka’s hand but thought better of it. Sokka tells himself that it shouldn’t bother him, but since when has his stupid, mushy heart ever listened to his brain? Sokka frowns, that train of thought usually leads to Yue and he doesn’t want to think about her right now. Not with Suki finally back.

Zuko is giving him a questioning, almost concerned, look, so Sokka forces himself to give the firebender his usual bright smile. Acting almost purely on instinct he holds his hand out and says, “Lead the way, my good hotman.” The shocked expression on Zuko’s face is well worth the effort.

“That- that’s not- please don’t start calling me that too.” Zuko’s trying, and failing, to hide his small, amused smile. Sokka just grins, in what is, according to Katara, a very annoying way, and waves his hand in the air a little impatiently.

Zuko gives him an almost calculating look now that makes Sokka feel a bit uncomfortable but he doesn’t look away or speak. For some reason he has a feeling that this, for whatever reason, is very important.

After a very long moment, Zuko finally, finally takes his hand, looking almost impossibly shy, and Sokka allows him to lead the way.

—————

Both teenagers fall asleep almost the moment they lay down. Sokka doesn’t think that any bed will ever be as comfortable as these rough sleeping cots. Zuko falls into the one across from his and sighs contentedly. Sokka echoes the sound and is dead to the world for the next few hours. 

A loud rustling noise wakes him. He rolls over irritatedly and tries to fall back to sleep. A soft, sobbing sound makes his eyes snap open. Sokka sits up and looks around for the source of the noise, rubbing his eyes blearily. His eyes finally lock onto Zuko, who is rolling around restlessly and, as Sokka cautiously moves closer, he can see faint tear tracks on the prince’s cheeks.

Sokka tentatively shakes Zuko’s arm. Zuko cringes away from Sokka’s hand in his sleep and whispers something. Leaning forward to listen, Sokka hears the firebender whisper, “I’m sorry, father. Please...” Sokka feels his stomach turn over and he jerks back hastily. 

This time, when he reaches out, he shakes Zuko more insistently. “Wake up, buddy,” Sokka murmurs tersely.

Zuko jerks awake with a panicked shout and practically throws himself away from Sokka. “I’m sorry,” he gasps out without looking up. 

Sokka can see fine tremors running through the body of the other boy and feels his own heart clench. “You’re- you’re okay,” he tries, hating the way his voice shakes slightly. 

Zuko looks up slightly and takes what must have been an attempt at a deep breath. “Did- did I wake you?” He asks in a small voice.

“Nah, man,” Sokka lies easily, “The bed was a bit uncomfortable and it woke me up.”

Zuko appears to relax slightly at this reassurance but mumbles, “I’m sorry if I bothered you.”

“Hey, you don’t have to apologize,” Sokka says in what he hopes is a reassuring tone. He sits down on one end of Zuko’s bed and pats the space next to him invitingly.

Zuko gives him a cautious look and sits in the middle of the bed. Not as close as Sokka had hoped for, but not as far away as he could have been. “What? Do you want me to talk about it or something?” Zuko asks sharply, a sneer in his tone. The effect falls short, however, as his voice is wavering badly.

Sokka shakes his head, keeping his body loose, “Not if you don’t want to. I just didn’t think you would want to be alone after that.”

Zuko looks away and mumbles, “Oh. Thanks, I guess.”

“No problem, jerkbender.” Sokka grins, even though he feels like doing anything but. 

They sit together in silence for what could have been five minutes or an hour before Zuko clears his throat, preparing to speak. “I-I didn’t have the best relationship with my father.” Sokka’s head snaps up. He could swear that he can hear his heart thumping in his ears. He scoots a little closer and is pleased when Zuko doesn’t try and move away. 

“When I left on the day of the invasion I told him that he was a shitty ruler and a shitty father and he-” Zuko’s breath hitches and he pauses for a moment. “He shot lightning at me.”

Sokka’s heart drops to somewhere below his stomach and he stares in horror and, even though he knows rationally that Zuko survived, he still feels slightly panicky. “How did you not-” 

“Die?” Zuko asks dryly. Sokka nods numbly and Zuko smiles grimly. “My uncle taught me how to redirect lightning. I’m lucky it worked. That was the first time I’d ever tried it.” 

Sokka stares for a moment before, unable to contain himself anymore, he puts his arm around Zuko’s shoulders and squeezes tightly. Zuko stiffens for a moment before allowing himself to lean into the embrace. “That really sucks, dude,” Sokka says, his own voice wavering, even though the phrase falls horribly short of how horrified he feels. 

And suddenly it’s like a dam is broken in Zuko and the prince starts crying, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Sokka brings his other arm up and puts it around Zuko too. It reminds him sharply of all of the times he’s comforted Katara and, more recently, Aang and Toph. Zuko seems to move on instinct and buries his face in Sokka’s chest, still heaving with sobs.

Sokka moves one of his hands up and strokes Zuko’s dark hair gently, tears pricking his own eyes. They stay that way for a long time, the Water Tribe warrior gently, but firmly, holding the shaking boy in his arms, but, when Zuko finally looks up, the banished prince seems somehow looser than Sokka has ever seen him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this chapter has some of my favorite lines. I hope you all liked it! All of your comments have made me really happy, the feedback is really cool to have.


	4. Hakoda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakoda wants to get to know Zuko. Zuko’s not too keen on the idea.

Hakoda quickly notices that the former Prince of the Fire Nation isn’t actually all that noticeable. He hardly sees him on the flight home and, when they finally arrive at the Western Air Temple, Zuko seems to blend into the background. The few times he does see Zuko, the firebender is with one of the others. He hardly ever hears Zuko talk unless he’s training Aang or thanking an uncharacteristically icy Katara at mealtimes. 

It’s the morning of his second day at the Air Temple, when Hakoda realizes that Zuko’s strange ability to disappear from the surroundings might not be accidental. Hakoda is helping Sokka organize their supplies when Zuko comes wandering into the area the group had reserved for storage, looking a bit tired and more than a bit fed up. “Sokka, where are my Dao?” He demands, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “If you took them again I swear I’ll-” The words seem to die on his tongue as he looks up and makes eye contact with Hakoda. 

“I might have seen them while Sokka and I were organizing our weapons,” Hakoda offers helpfully. 

Zuko’s good eye goes very wide, the lingering weariness gone, as he takes a step back. “I-I’ll look for them later,” he mumbles, shuffling backwards before turning and all but running out of the room.

“Is he alright?” Hakoda questions, confusion swirling in his mind, turning to Sokka. Sokka shifts uncomfortably and shrugs a little. “Do you know something, Sokka?” Something about the boy’s almost panicked expression isn’t quite sitting right with Hakoda.

Sokka looks up at Hakoda and since when has his son had such a mature, sad look in his eyes? “I-I have a hunch but I don’t think it’s something I should tell you,” Sokka bites his lip, uncharacteristically nervous.

Hakoda frowns, whatever his son’s hunch is, it doesn’t sound good. “I’m sure I can handle it,” he assures.

“That’s not the problem,” Sokka shakes his head irritably, as if to remove a fly, “I don’t think Zuko would want you to know my hunch.” Hakoda opens his mouth to question further but Sokka says slowly, “I think that if you go to him sometime soon and talk...nicely, I guess, he might open up a bit.

—————

Hakoda knows that it’s probably not the most honest way of getting Zuko alone, but the next morning he decides to corner him after Aang’s firebending practice. The moment he enters their training area, Zuko falters and pauses in a demonstration. “Did you need something, Chief Hakoda, sir?”

Hakoda smiles a bit and shakes his head. “I just came to watch the two of you practice. I haven’t had many chances to watch firebending in a casual setting,” he chuckles slightly. For some reason, even though Zuko nods in acceptance, he gets the feeling that he said the wrong thing.

Zuko seems distracted for the remainder of the lesson and Hakoda is sure he sees the boy’s golden gaze wander towards him quite a few times. Finally, after Aang’s stomach rumbles loudly a few times, causing him to giggle, Zuko allows him to go eat breakfast. He makes as if to follow the Air Nomad but Hakoda calls quietly, “Can I have a word with you, Prince Zuko?”

Zuko stiffens but nods once as he turns around. “You can just call me Zuko, Chief Hakoda,” he says quickly. 

Hakoda smirks at the irony of Zuko using his title but frowns when Zuko flinches slightly. “If I can call you Zuko than you can just call me Hakoda.” 

Zuko frowns a little but nods. “What do you want?” He asks, his voice a little sharp. His hands twist together in what is clearly a nervous habit as his eyes widen a little, “I didn’t mean-” 

“It’s alright,” Hakoda smiles reassuringly. There’s really no good way of saying it so Hakoda tries to gentle his voice as he answers, “I wanted to ask you why you’ve been avoiding me.”

Zuko’s shoulders hunch defensively as he hastily responds, “I-I haven’t been avoiding you!” The boy’s a terrible liar which is somehow relieving. Hakoda trusts Sokka’s judgement in people but it’s still nice to know that Zuko is, most probably, quite incapable of fooling the Avatar’s group. 

Hakoda tries to appear as non-threatening as possible as he walks towards Zuko. He thinks that he’s starting to understand the problem a bit more. “It’s just that Sokka seems to like you a lot and I was hoping to get to know you a bit.”

Zuko flushes a little at this but his shoulders lower a bit as he responds, “Oh, well, that’s okay then.” Hakoda wonders what interaction Zuko had been expecting that wouldn’t have been okay.

“You’re firebending is impressive,” Hakoda tells him abruptly because, if he knows anything about teenage boys, Zuko will open up further to praise of his fighting skill.

Zuko’s quite red when he mumbles, “Oh, um, thanks.” He clears his throat nervously before quietly asking, “Why would you want to get to know me?”

Hakoda frowns, he doesn’t like the emphasis on ‘me’. “Because,” he pauses for a moment. He knows enough not to rush his words. “I already know the rest of your group and, from what I’ve seen, you seem like a good kid.”

Zuko is looking at him with transparent confusion and apprehension in his eyes and Hakoda feels a pang in his chest. This boy is clearly so very different from his cruel, ruthless sister. He’s not quite sure when everything clicks into place but he examines Zuko’s nervous, almost defensive, posture and says gently, “Ozai wasn’t very kind to you, was he?”

Zuko is obviously taken aback by the question and he takes, what seems to be, an automatic step backwards. “He-” he cuts himself off, taking a sharp intake of breath. “Why do you care?” He asks sharply, his face falling into an angry mask.

“Because I don’t like the thought of any child being hurt. Especially by their own father.” Hakoda doesn’t allow himself to be fazed by Zuko’s anger. If the boy is anything like Katara, it’s most likely a defense mechanism.

Sure enough, the anger seems to drain out of the firebender and he slumps a bit. “Well, you were right,” he says quietly, “he’s never kind. Not to me. Not to anyone. Well,” he snorts angrily, “Not to anyone but Azula.”

“That’s your sister, right?” Hakoda checks, taking a few steps closer.

“Yeah, the crazy one,” Zuko makes a noise that was clearly supposed to be a laugh but comes out as more of a choked off sob. He looks away and Hakoda isn’t at all happy with how small he suddenly looks. He reaches out to put a hand on Zuko’s shoulder but Zuko flinches away from the touch. “I think I’m going to go find something to eat,” he mutters, but there’s a bit of a question in his words.

Hakoda draws his hand back and sighs. “Go ahead, Zuko.” He follows the bender back to their campsite and collects his own breakfast from Katara. He keeps his eye on Zuko for the duration of the meal but the kid just stares into space, clearly thinking hard. When Hakoda hands Katara his empty plate he notices with no little amount of concern that Zuko hadn’t eaten a bite.

Despite this concerning behavior, Zuko eases his mind a little when the former prince finds him before they settle down to sleep and simply says, “Thank you, Hakoda.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not as satisfied with this chapter as I am with the others but I think it ended up pretty good. I hope you all enjoyed it!


	5. Suki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suki finds Zuko the night after they’re chased out of the Western Air Temple.

It’s very late. It’s late and Suki can’t sleep. Every time her eyes close she sees the image of the terrifyingly unhinged Azula that had discovered them. She almost feels like she has no right to be upset when she’s the one who’s free, while her girls are still stuck in prison somewhere in the Fire Nation. Finally, frustrated, she gets to her feet as quietly as she can and decides to take a walk to clear her mind. 

She wanders to the cliffside and can’t help but think of how unfair it is that the moon can find it in itself to shine so brightly when so many people are in mortal danger at this very moment. When her girls could be- she cuts off that line of thinking quickly, taking her anger out by throwing a rock over the cliff and watching until it hits the water with a splash that can’t be heard from so high up. 

Turning, she walks along the edge of the cliff, arms crossed in front of her chest, mind still racing. She’s been walking for almost half an hour when she sees him. Zuko, the boy who burned down her village but also the boy who helped rescue her, is sitting near the edge. His arms hang loosely around his legs, which are tucked into his chest, and his chin rests heavily on his knees. “Hey,” Suki greets him, pleased that her voice comes out steady and strong.

He jumps at the sound of her voice but mutters, “Hey,” without looking up. 

She sits down next to him, legs dangling off the cliff, without bothering to ask for permission. “So, what’s up?” She asks.

“What?” He asks blankly, finally turning his head to face her. 

She’s momentarily taken aback by how young he looks like that but recovers herself quickly. “I mean what’s wrong,” she prompts, wondering if he’s being difficult on purpose. 

“Oh,” he looks away again, “Nothing. It’s stupid, really.”

“If it’s bothering you that much than it can’t possibly be stupid,” Suki reasons, shifting into a more comfortable position. “Come on, try me.”

Zuko looks at her for a moment but, whatever he sees, it must be the right thing because he takes a deep breath and begins to speak. “It’s just that- when I first came here nobody liked me. Which I understand perfectly,” he hastens to assure, “But after a while, some of them started to act like they were actually... like they were actually my friends.” He pauses for a moment, probably to collect his own thoughts and Suki thinks it wise not to disturb the fragile silence with words of her own

“I started thinking that they might actually care about me and maybe some of them do but Katara doesn’t. And I know that I don’t deserve to feel upset about it, but-” He cuts himself off abruptly and tenses a bit when Suki puts a grounding hand on his shoulder.

“I think it’s okay for you to feel upset,” Suki says, catching his eyes with her own before they flick away again. “It seems like you’ve done everything you can do to make up for what you did before.” He looks doubtful so she grabs his shoulders gently, yet firmly, and turns him to face her. “It’s not your fault that Katara’s being stubborn, Zuko.”

“But it is,” he says, and the pain in his voice is almost enough to make Suki let go of him. She doesn’t. “If I hadn’t believed Azula back in Ba Sing Se I could’ve prevented so much.”

“You know, sometimes I think that maybe if I hadn’t challenged Azula than maybe I could’ve saved the other Kyoshi Warriors. But then I think that if I hadn’t challenged her I wouldn’t be here now. I think it’s the same with you, Zuko. You needed more time to work things out in your own mind.” Suki does release him now but watches his face closely.

He processes her words for a moment before mumbling, “I get it, but I still wish Katara didn’t hate me.”

“Well,” Suki weighs her words carefully because the last thing she needs is to give Zuko faulty advice and get him hurt, “Maybe you should talk to her. Ask her what you can do to make it up to her.”

Zuko considers this for a minute before nodding, “Yeah, I think I’ll do that. Thank you Suki.” He turns back around and rests his chin on his knees once again. Suki takes the invitation to leave for what it is and stands up. She ruffles his hair, in a way that makes him flush a little and stifle a laugh, before making her way back to camp. 

As she flops back down in her tent she thinks that maybe she helped herself as much as she helped Zuko. She falls asleep quickly and sleeps the rest of the night without a single nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn’t sure if I was going to write Suki well but I really like how this chapter turned out. I hope y’all liked it!


	6. Katara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara finally decides to get to know Zuko after they arrive at Ember Island

Katara isn’t stupid. She knows that forgiving Zuko means getting to know him. It’s just not too easy to get to know someone she’s treated so horribly for the last few weeks. And, yes, she is mature enough to admit that she hasn’t quite treated him fairly. She just isn’t sure how to start a conversation with him

She tries to ask Aang first but he just gives her some sage monk advice about “just letting things happen” Well, that’s all well and good but it’s not like she has the time to “just let things happen.” She immediately rules out asking Sokka for advice: her brother would probably just laugh at her. She’s not familiar enough with Suki to ask her for advice either, so that just leaves...Toph. 

Katara groans. She knows that Toph will probably give her hell for this but she’s woman enough to suck up her pride and pull the earthbender aside after dinner one night. “What can I help you with, O’ Sugar Queen?” Toph asks, her characteristic smirk already enough to give Katara a headache.

“I need your help with Zuko,” the waterbender sighs. The smirk slides off of Toph’s face and she waves her hand for Katara to continue. “I want to get to know him and I’m not sure how. Not after-”

“Not after the way you treated him?” Toph fills in dryly. Katara opens her mouth to protest, or agree, she doesn’t know which, but Toph holds up a hand. “Well, if I were him I probably wouldn’t want to get to know you. But he’s Zuko, and Zuko is a big softie on the inside, so he probably will. Just talk to him, that’s what we all did. Do it tonight before you lose your nerve.” She hesitates before continuing, “You know, once you get to know him, he’s actually really sweet. Good luck, Sweetness.”

“Aw, Toph! You do have a heart!” Katara cries in an overly-sugary voice. Toph punches her shoulder but it only serves to make Katara giggle harder.

“Ugh, whatever!” Toph throws up her hands and stomps away.

—————

Katara is sitting in the courtyard that night, idly shifting her bending water in the air, when she hears footsteps. “Hey,” she greets quietly. The footsteps stop abruptly and, squinting, she can see by the light of the moon that they belong to Zuko. “You can come sit with me if you want,” she offers, holding her breath as he hesitates for a long moment. Finally, after what seems like an age, he walks towards her and sits a few feet away, facing her. 

She bends her water back into it’s container and frowns deeply when she notices Zuko’s small flinch. She takes a breath before saying quietly, “I’m sorry about the way I treated you, Zuko.”

He tilts his head in confusion and whispers, “Why?” Katara flinches. There was no hostility in his tone which almost makes it worse.

“Because, I was wrong to treat you so horribly when you were just trying to do the right thing,” she says firmly.

He’s quiet for a long moment before he says, “I’m sorry about Ba Sing Se.”

“I don’t blame you anymore,” Katara reaches out and takes his hands in her own. He flinches a little at the contact but she doesn’t release him. “I think I understand now. She told you that you could go home, right?”

Zuko nods wordlessly, squeezing his eyes shut. “I thought things would be normal again but they weren’t. Meeting everyone here makes me think that maybe things have never been 'normal' for me," his voice is steady but Katara can hear the tears behind his words.

"I still don't understand why they're all so nice to me," Zuko shifts uncomfortably and tugs his hands out of her grasp, looking down, before continuing, "I thought that you were the only one treating me normally, but from what the others have said, I guess not."

Katara thinks her heart might break so she quietly says, "Oh, Zuko... you thought it wasn't normal for the others to be nice to you?" Zuko's shoulders hunch as he shrugs slightly. "You don't have a great family, do you?"

Zuko shakes his head and he releases a shuddering breath. Katara moves a bit closer in time to see a lone tear drip onto Zuko's hands, which are folded in his lap. Trying to lighten the atmosphere, she attempts a joke, "So, you and the others were talking about me, hm?"

Far from cheering Zuko up, he tenses and mumbles, "Sorry."

"I was just joking," Katara hastens to assure him and he relaxes a little.

"Oh, right. I- I knew that I think," his voice is still shaky.

"Zuko, can I hug you?" Katara asks gently. Zuko's right eye is very wide as he nods warily. She moves until she is right in front of him before embracing him tightly.

He goes very tense for a moment before tentatively wrapping his own arms around her in return. If Katara feels a few tears fall onto her shoulder she doesn't say anything. After a long moment, she pulls back, hands still on his shoulders, and smiles at him. He returns it with a small, rather watery smile of his own.

"Think we can start over?" Katara asks, feeling a bit teary herself now. Zuko nods and Katara lets go of him to stick out her hand, "Hi, I'm Katara."

Zuko takes her hand hesitantly and shakes it. "I'm Zuko," he says in a soft voice. 

"I'm glad to call you my friend," Katara smiles, a tear dripping down her own cheek.

Zuko's small smile is both heartbreaking and uplifting in its' joy as he responds, "Me too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, I had no idea how this chapter was going to end up but I actually like it a lot! I hope you all enjoy it too!


	7. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko knows the war is over. Zuko knows he is the Fire Lord. He has to learn that he still has a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I’ve never read the comics or watched Legends of Korra so nothing of what happens in this post-canon chapter will have anything to do with what happens in either of them.

Toph’s relieved that all of the pomp and celebration of coronating a new Fire Lord is over and, if she knows anything about Zuko, he is too. Despite this, he’s been melancholy all day and slunk off sometime after lunch. She’s been looking for him for about an hour now with no luck. “Spirits damn this palace for being so big!” She shouts, feeling more than one servant turn to her with something she interprets as shock. 

She throws up a rude gesture and marches through a door that leads to, what feels like, a spacious courtyard with a large area in the middle, that she assumes must be a pond. She grins when she recognizes who the person sitting at the edge of the pond is. “Hey, Sunshine!” She calls triumphantly. 

Zuko jumps, because of course he does. He’s not nearly as afraid of everybody as he used to be but he’s still rather jumpy. “Oh. Hi, Toph,” his voice is low and, somehow, sad.

She sits next to him without waiting for an invitation and asks, “So, what’s going on?”

“Um, I’m feeding the turtleducks,” Zuko mumbles, shifting awkwardly. Toph doesn’t need her earthbending to know that he knew what she meant.

“I meant, what’s going on up here?” Toph clarifies anyway, tapping his forehead with her pointer finger. “You’ve been sulking all day.”

“Sorry,” Zuko says immediately and Toph stifles a sigh.

“You don’t have to apologize for everything, Sparky. Just answer the question, dude.” Toph rolls her eyes but nudges him with her shoulder, just in case she sounded harsh. 

“Oh, sor-” Zuko cuts himself off, laughing nervously. “Um, right. Your, uh, your question. I’ve just been thinking that I’m going to miss you all a lot when you leave m- um, when you leave the Fire Nation.”

Toph is silent for a good minute, even when she feels Zuko start to shift anxiously, before she exclaims, “What the hell, dude?” Zuko flinches and Toph feels a bit guilty. “We’re not going to leave you, Sparky. I’m definitely not leaving this place, and the others will come back a lot. Where the hell do you think I’m going to go? Back to my parents? Not very damn likely,” she shakes her head, chuckling a little.

Zuko is very still for a moment before he asks quietly, “You’re not going to leave?”

“‘Course not, Sunshine,” Toph reaches up and ruffles Zuko’s hair affectionately and grins when he giggles a little. “I can’t leave my favorite ostrich-horse, can I?” 

With that, she leaps onto his back, cackling when he lets out a little, “oof.” He stands up obligingly and asks, a smile in his voice, “Where do you wish to go, O’ Great Blind Bandit?”

“To the kitchens!” She orders imperiously, shaking with laughter. 

The servants nearly faint when they see the young Fire Lord carrying the little earthbender on his shoulders. They can’t help but smile, however, when they hear them both laughing in a way that they haven’t heard in the palace for a long time.

—————

Aang is having a restless night. After he wakes up for the fourth time he decides to occupy himself by checking on Appa, who is currently living in one of the larger courtyards in the palace. The palace is unusually quiet and he only encounters a few servants on his way through the many corridors. The sight that greets him when he enters the courtyard is enough to bring him up short.

Fire Lord Zuko himself is asleep, curled into Appa’s shaggy coat in a way that makes him look remarkably young. Appa is awake and rumbles affectionately at Aang when he sees the airbender. Aang giggles under his breath and comes closer to pat Appa’s nose. “You two are very cute,” he tells Appa, grinning. Appa headbutts him gently and Aang laughs again, a little louder this time. Apparently, too loud because he can see Zuko stirring now.

Zuko is on his feet quickly as he snaps sleepily, “Who’s there?”

Aang throws his hands up, “Hey, it’s just me!” 

“Oh,” Zuko deflates a little, flopping back down to sit with his back propped up against Appa. “You can go ahead and laugh now,” he offers, curling his arms around his legs.

“Why would I do that?” Aang asks, bewildered, sitting down next to Zuko.

Zuko turns his head a little to give Aang an incredulous look, “Because I’m the Fire Lord and I fell asleep on a sky bison like a kid.”

Aang considers this for a moment, before putting a hand on Zuko’s arm. It’s a mark of how far they’ve come that Zuko doesn’t flinch. “Yeah, you’re the Fire Lord, but you’re a kid too, Zuko,” Aang says, smiling softly.

Zuko stares at him for a second before simply saying, “Oh,” and letting himself slide down until he’s laying on his back, staring up at the still-dark sky. Aang scoots closer to Zuko and flops down next to him. 

“It’s okay to be a kid sometimes, you know?” Aang informs Zuko softly.

“I think I know. Now, at least,” Zuko admits, his voice equally soft.

“Good,” Aang yawns widely, “Because I’m too tired to argue right now.” He closes his eyes and settles more comfortably into Appa’s fur. Zuko hesitates for a moment before tentatively putting an arm around the young Avatar’s shoulders. Aang smiles widely and snuggles closer before falling fast asleep. 

That’s how the rest of Team Avatar find the three the next morning. The Fire Lord, The Avatar, and a sky bison (Sokka insists that there has to be a joke in there somewhere) all snuggled together, in a peaceful sleep. They don’t wake them.

—————

The guards learned very quickly that every member of Team Avatar is welcome anywhere in the palace. This is why none of them even blink when Sokka throws open the door of Zuko’s office with all of his usual gusto. “You’ve been working too long!” He proclaims loudly.

Zuko jumps and looks up, his expression sliding from slightly guilty to mulish before Sokka can get another word in. “I need to finish these reforms,” he insists, stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest.

“Yep! Right after you get some rest,” Sokka tugs at Zuko’s arm, only to be met with a glare.

“I’m fine, Sokka,” Zuko sighs, shaking the Water Tribe boy off, “I don’t need rest.”

It’s Sokka’s turn to cross his arms now as he asks, “When was the last time you slept, Zuko?”

Zuko drops his gaze as he mutters, “Last night.”

Sokka stares, feeling unimpressed and, frankly, a little like his intelligence had just been insulted. “You’re a terrible liar, Zuko,” he says flatly.

Zuko groans, dropping his head into his hands. “Maybe three nights ago?” He mumbles through his fingers.

Sokka feels himself soften as he responds, “You need to get some sleep, buddy. This will all be here when you wake up.”

The fight seems to have gone out of Zuko as he nods, yawning, “Yeah, okay.” 

Sokka reaches out and takes his hands, helping the Fire Lord to his feet. “Come on, Your Majesty. You’ll fall asleep on your feet if I don’t help you,” Sokka makes sure that his tone makes it very clear that he’s just teasing. 

He’s very pleased when Zuko chuckles a little as they walk The firebender’s tone is soft, even when he says, “Shut up, Water Tribe peasant.” 

Sokka grins, “Hey, you made a joke. I’m proud of you, buddy!” 

Zuko goes very red and ducks his head a little but doesn’t argue. Sokka has to admit, he looks pretty adorable right now. Sokka keeps one hand on Zuko’s elbow, as if he’ll run away if Sokka lets go, as he uses his free hand to open Zuko’s bedroom door. “Bedtime for you, Fire Lord Hotman,” he announces, pushing Zuko down gently until he’s sitting on the bed. 

Zuko yawns again as he bats Sokka’s hands away. “You don’t have to be doing this,” he says, looking away nervously.

Sokka shrugs casually and says, “Yeah, I know,” by way of answer. Sokka slides the royal hairpiece out of Zuko’s hair, ruffling it as it falls into its’ usual fluffy mess. Zuko flushes again and Sokka winks at him. “Trust me, I know how to get stubborn, sleep-deprived teenagers to let themselves relax,” he says smugly.

Zuko opens his mouth to argue but another yawn comes out instead. Sokka grins, flopping into a cushioned chair, “Just lay down, jerkbender.” Zuko sheds his outer robe quickly before complying, clearly too tired to protest further. Sokka stays in the chair until Zuko’s breathing becomes deep and even. He quietly slips out of the room, then, feeling very satisfied with himself. Zuko sleeps peacefully for almost twelve hours.

—————

Hakoda is fairly certain that he somehow gained another child when he wasn’t looking. Katara and Sokka have both started to talk to Zuko with the same fond exasperation they address each other with. Furthermore, he frequently receives seemingly random updates from both of his children, such as, “Hey, Dad! Did you know that Zuko loves turtleducks? Isn’t that sweet?” Or, “Dad! Zuko’s been training with swords since he was little and he said I’m almost as good as he is already!”

All in all, Hakoda thinks that it’s about time to have another one-on-one conversation with Zuko again, before he has to return to the Southern Water Tribe. He seizes his chance one evening, after dinner, when everyone is relaxed and full. “Zuko, would you mind showing me around the grounds?” He asks, hoping that Zuko won’t get too anxious.

Zuko’s eye narrows in automatic suspicion, even as he responds, “Yes, of course.”

Hakoda waits until they are well out of earshot of the others before he speaks. “How do you like being Fire Lord?” He asks casually.

Zuko shrugs a little, looking a little uncomfortable, “There’s a lot of work to do, of course, but other than that it’s not bad.”

“What about your people? Do you like them?” Hakoda continues. He’s genuinely curious, and it’s a good way to get the conversation going.

“Mostly, yeah, although...” Zuko hesitates, looking awkward, but continues when Hakoda makes an encouraging gesture, “Sometimes I hate that they bow to me so much but when I tell them to stop they look at me weird and that’s even worse-” He cuts himself off, flushing a bit as he takes a deep breath. 

Hakoda chuckles a bit and claps his hand on Zuko’s shoulder. Zuko flinches just a little and Hakoda feels his heart clench. “I probably sound pathetic,” Zuko mumbles, looking down and fiddling with his sleeves.

“I don’t think you do,” Hakoda smiles, “I’d imagine that it’d feel a little awkward at first.”

Zuko looks up, his expression one of relief. “Yeah, it is,” he admits quietly.

They are quiet again for a little while after this before Hakoda says, “You know, Katara and Sokka like you a lot.” Zuko looks embarrassed but nods. “What about you? How do you feel about them?”

“They’re both really nice,” Zuko says quietly, “they both tease me a lot but it feels... nicer? than the way Azula used to make fun of me. So, yeah, I like them a lot too.”

“Good,” Hakoda gives Zuko a warm smile. “I think I like you too, Zuko.” Zuko flushes again and doesn’t respond.

They spend the rest of their walk in silence but when Zuko says, “Goodnight, Hakoda,” he is less tense than Hakoda has ever seen him.

—————

Suki is relieved to have her fans back. She could, obviously, fight without them but she feels the most comfortable with their familiar weight in her hands. It feels natural, when she stumbles across Zuko practicing forms with his Dao, to say, “Spar with me, hothead.”

Zuko pauses for a moment before nodding, “Yeah, alright.” 

She pulls out her fans and grins, “Whenever you’re ready.” Zuko strikes first and she laughs as she knocks the blow aside. 

They spar for almost an hour in near-silence, neither willing to give an inch to the other. Finally, when they’re both stumbling, Zuko asks, “Tie?”

Suki nods breathlessly, “Sounds good.” They both sheath their weapons and flop down onto the grass. “You’re really good,” Suki comments, impressed.

“No need to sound so surprised,” Zuko responds dryly. 

“Most benders don’t bother with weapons training,” Suki shrugs, “I am a bit surprised.”

“Oh. Well, you’re really good too,” Zuko tells her, sounding a bit shy.

Suki smiles and says, in an overly dramatized tone, “I’m flattered, Fire Lord Zuko.”

Zuko laughs a little, shaking his head, “Can you and Sokka go more than ten minutes without being sarcastic?”

Suki pretends to think hard on this. “Hm...I don’t believe that that’s even possible!” She exclaims in mock horror.

Zuko ducks his head to hide his fond smile but Suki sees it anyway. Getting to her feet, she holds out a hand to help Zuko up. He takes it and she grins, “I’m starving, what about you?”

“Yeah, definitely,” Zuko hesitates for a moment, as if he’s nervous that she’ll laugh at him before he says, a question in his voice, “Race you back to the dining room?

Suki’s grin widens, “You’re on, hothead.”

—————

Something is very wrong. Katara knows it the moment Zuko doesn’t leave the meeting room with everyone else. She had been waiting outside the door so she could force him to get something to eat before he rushed off to his next meeting. She hesitates a moment longer before slipping inside. 

Zuko is sitting with his back pressed against one of the many pillars in the room, knees tucked into his chest. His right hand crosses his body to cover his scar, almost protectively. He looks heartbreakingly small and Katara rushes over to him. “Zuko, what happened?” She asks gently.

Zuko jumps at the sound of her voice but relaxes when he sees her, dropping his hand to hang beside him. “I just discharged a general. I thought I would never have to see him again,” he says dully. Katara kneels in front of him, hating the way his eyes are carefully blank. 

“What did he do?” She asks, keeping her voice quiet, even though she wants nothing more than to go back outside and give whoever hurt Zuko a piece of her mind.

“He did something a long time ago that led to- that led to this,” he gestures vaguely to his scar and Katara is sure she’s going to kill someone now.

“Did he do that to you?” Katara snaps furiously 

Zuko tenses a bit and laughs bitterly, “No. No, he didn’t burn me.” He doesn’t elaborate so Katara simply maneuvers herself until she’s sitting next to the firebender, pressing against his side comfortingly.

“Well, I’m still sorry you had to see him,” she puts a hand on his arm and feels her heart clench when she hears him sniff a little. 

“I thought he was gone,” Zuko says blankly, “Which is probably stupid of me because I should have known. It just...caught me off guard, I guess. I should be okay,” he ends frustratedly.

“Hey, it’s okay for you to not be okay about this, Zuko,” Katara says, putting her arm around him. He sags into her side like a puppet with its’ strings cut and Katara strokes his hair as she lets him cry himself out. “Better?” She asks softly, after he’s been quiet for a few minutes.

He nods and pulls away from her, “I’m so-” 

“Tui and La, if you apologize I swear I’ll-I’ll-well, I’ll do something!” Katara groans. Zuko chuckles embarrassedly and they sit in silence for a moment. Katara turns her head to look at Zuko and says, “I can drown him for you, if you want.”

Zuko’s eye widens, “What? No!”

“I was joking,” Katara assures, a half-truth. She wouldn’t drown him. She’d just...give him a bit of a scare.

“Oh, right,” Zuko rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment. 

“Now, come on,” Katara says, “You’re getting something to eat before you do anything else.”

“Katara, I can take care of myself,” Zuko groans good-naturedly. 

“I’ll believe that when I see you doing it with my own eyes,” Katara smirks, “Until then, I’ll spoon feed you if I have to.”

“Katara!” The shocked voice is eclipsed by Katara’s hysterical laughter, which echoes throughout that wing of the palace.

—————

Zuko may not have many blood relatives left but, he thinks one night as he’s piled on by five teenagers who insisted they have a sleepover, that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have a family. He smiles widely and Sokka pokes him in the chest, “What are you so happy about?”

“Nothing,” Zuko says, still grinning, “I just-” He feels himself go red but this just peaks the interest of the other four. “Ugh,” he buries his face in a pillow as he mutters, “I just really love you all.”

“Awwww,” Katara and Aang say in tandem. “We love you too, Zuko,” Aang exclaims, latching onto the firebender’s side, showing no signs of letting go anytime soon. 

“Agreed,” Katara smiles warmly.

Toph punches his arm. “Yeah, yeah, what they said,” she says, before, “Seriously. I mean it, Sparky.”

“You’re pretty okay, I guess,” Suki sniffs in mock disdain. Zuko sees Aang give her a look and she laughs, “Of course I love you too, idiot.”

“Uh, yeah, agreed,” Sokka says, sniffing.

“Sokka, are you crying?” Katara giggles

“I am not! Shut up, Katara!”

“You so are.”

“Am not!”

“You’re lying!” Toph says in a sing-song voice. 

“I think it’s sweet,” Suki kisses his cheek and Sokka turns bright red. 

“Ugh, go be mushy somewhere else,” Toph sticks her tongue out.

“I’m not leaving!” Sokka protests, flopping down stubbornly.

“Then don’t be mushy,” Toph retorts.

“Would you all just shut up?” Zuko groans, too much fondness behind the words to possibly have any effect.

“Aw, you love us,” Sokka says, poking him teasingly.

“I shouldn’t have said anything. I can’t ever intimidate you, now,” Zuko sighs.

“Like you ever did,” Toph snorts.

“Hey!”

Even as the conversation devolves into a good-natured argument, Zuko knows he’ll be forever grateful that he joined these dorky teenagers who somehow saved the world. Family’s okay, he guesses, but sometimes friends are better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, everyone! This story is over BUT I have some ideas for scenes that didn’t fit in this story so I will be making this a series and writing a few more stories in this universe. They might not be in chronological order and they may take place before this ending but I’ll probably let you all know when they take place in a Note at the beginning of each story. I hope you all enjoyed this story and I hope you look forward to more!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone. This is my first fic on Ao3 and since I’ve been hyperfixating on ATLA right now I figured I’d write something on it! Lemme know if you like it! Kudos and comments are appreciated but not required lol


End file.
